Childish Ways
by Cheshire-cat-ways
Summary: This is the companion story to my one shot Are You Afraid. The Nightmare King takes on the hardest challenge he will ever have to face-Fatherhood. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE! OC included! Eventual Jack Frost/OC in the story. Rated T for romance later on. Read and Review!
1. Author's Note and Summary

**Author Note: Hello readers! A lot of people really liked my one shot "Are You Afraid?" so I decided to continue this as an actual story! YAYAYAYAAYAY! Just as a heads up, I'm going to recap Are You Afraid and use it again with the begging introduction. I figured instead of telling people to just read my other story first, I would just add it in here to make things easier. Also, most of these scenes will kinda be in one shot form. It was just easier to write the beginning out that way. Once you start reading that statement will make more sense. As the story progresses it will even out into actual story mode. In between you will also see a lot of flashbacks because I love writing for baby Mylo~! Eventually I want to add some romance because who doesn't love a good Jack frost romance? Obviously I'm going to make it exciting and original so don't worry about cheesiness. I really enjoy Jack's character and I feel it would make sense for a childish girl to have a connection with the Childhood Guardian of Fun. Another thing( I swear it's almost over) Pitch can act a little OOC sometimes. I try to make his moments with Mylo cute and have him still remain in character but that gets hard. He has some major character development but I will keep his Nightmare King persona. If I start making him too OOC PLEASE TELL ME I WILL FIX IT. *takes a deep breath* Phew, I think I covered everything. If not I'll just add another note. **

**FULL SUMMARY: **Powerless and desperate, Pitch Black senses a child's fear one night-it was small, but it was all he had. In the dark of the night he travels to the far side of a town and into a child's bedroom, thinking he was fully prepared to regain his strength through their fear. Oh how wrong he was. The next thing the Nightmare King knew he was taking a small girl into his home and taking on the hardest challenge he would ever have to face- Fatherhood. What was Pitch Black getting himself into?


	2. The Beginning-Part 1

A slithering shadow zoomed through the black of the night. It passed rows of houses, buildings, shops, until it came to a slow stop in front of a red brick building near the outskirts of the town. The shadow has been feeling a child's fear for quite some time now. It was faint so he couldn't really tell what kind of fear it was, but it was fear none the less. And if a child was afraid, than the Boogey Man was strong. Pitch flew through the shadows to the top most window on the left. A gray curtain blocked his view inside so he didn't know what to expect when he entered the room. Pitch Black scanned the child's room, not being able to tell if this child was a boy or a girl due to the lack of decoration. In fact, the only thing that showed the impossibly small room was being living in was a old closet, slightly left open, a coat hanger with a tiny gray coat on it, and a bed.

Pitch inched towards the bed once he spied it. He saw the irregular lift of the sheets and he guessed the child was sitting underneath the blankets. A dim glow of a flashlight let him know that not only was this child awake at such a late hour, but was reading. The Nightmare King paused for a moment. Mostly he would give a sleeping child nightmares, and their fear would give him life. However, since the child was not asleep, he would have to scare them in a different way. A sharp grin graced his pale features as he slipped into a shadowy cover once more. First, he started off making subtle noises. A creak in the floor, a scratch on the wall, just things to get the kid's attention. Pitch's yellow eyes were trained on the bed, waiting for a reaction. When he got none, he frowned. Maybe the child couldn't hear him? Pitch tried being noisier, making the curtains ruffle, anything to get the child to come out from the covers. Nothing was working. Pitch growled and was just about to make a full appearance when the covers moved down and the dim flashlight became brighter. A little girl, about the age of four or five, settled the covers below her legs, a thick book on her lap-too thick for a child her age to be reading. She looked around, almost annoyed that somebody dared interrupt her reading, shinning the yellowish colored flash light around the room. Pitch smiled, now he had her attention. All he needed to do was make a few more noises to test out a fear, and once he knew what she was afraid of, he could use that to strengthen himself. He began to conjure black sand that turned into a big spider. He let the spider crawl on the wall and the girl eventually flashed her light on it. She gasped at first, startled but then it settled and she got out of bed. Pitch watched her curiously. A little girl not afraid of big spiders? How odd. Apparently that wasn't the only thing odd about the girl, because instead of grabbing something to squash it, she ran towards and and observed it. Pitch made the spider make sudden movements, to startle the girl again, but she didn't react. She just watched with her small mouth open slightly. Annoyed, Pitch made the spider dissolve and again the girl gasped with astonishment. Having enough of this tom-foolery, Pitch came out of the shadows gracefully and stared down at the little girl. She only came up to his knees, and had to look up very far to meet his eyes. She saw him. Which meant she believed he was real. Which meant she must be afraid of something. Pitch glowered at her and bore his teeth in a wicked smile.

"Are you afraid little one?" he asked in a smooth voice. The girl tilted her head, apparently getting over the fact that there was a tall, menacing figure in her bedroom.

"Why would I be afraid?" she asked with innocent curiosity. Pitch raised an eyebrow and began circling the small girl's frame.

"Well, I _am_ the Boogey Man. And if you can see me, you are afraid. You _believe_ in me. So tell me, what are you afraid of?" He drew closer, expecting the little girl to scamper back, but she just took on this thoughtful expression to true to be coming from one her age. Then she perked up and got closer to him, making Pitch lean back slightly.

"You made the spider didn't you?" she gasped. Pitch hesitated.

"Yes," he said slowly," as I said, I'm the-"

"Can you do it again?!" she squealed. Pitch choked and shook his head.

"Wh-" he began but the little girl cut him off again.

"Oh please! Please please please!" she begged, tugging on his robe. He shooed her off and rolled his yellow eyes. This child is ridiculous. A waste of his time. He glanced down at her and was stunned to see her giving him the puppy dog eyes. It caught him even more off guard. This little girl was giving him the bloody _Boogey Man_ the puppy dog eyes. She pouted at him to add to the effect and Pitch growled. He wouldn't give in. He was the Nightmare King. The Nightmare king just doesn't fall for puppy dog eyes from little girls.

"Pretty please? I want to see." The little girl's voice rang in his ears. For the love of-

"Fine." He pinched the bridge of his nose in aggravation. He was going to regret this. He muttered small curses under his breath and came down to the little girl's level. She watched him with wide eyes as he waved his hands around, causing black sand to swirl and form into a spider. Pitch looked up at her as she gasped and smiled. A child was _smiling_ at his black sand. Welcome to rock bottom Pitch Black. His expression remained sour as the girl reached out to touch the spider, but he quickly made it disappear. He saw what happened last time a child touched his sand, and the last thing he wanted was more power sucked out of him. Pitch stood straight again.

"There. You happy now, little thorn in my side?" he snapped. The girl shot her head up at him and for a moment he thought she was going to react to his hurtful comment, but all she did was grab a hold of his robe again.

"Can you make anything else? Oh show me! I wanna see! " she began jumping up and down. Pitch looked around, just to see if he was being pranked right now. Surely this was all some mad joke being played on him. With a sigh he motioned for her to settle down, his eyes narrowed.

"If I show you some tricks, will you let me be?" he asked. The little girl tapped her chin and thought about it. Pitch looked to the heavens. Why him? Another tug made him look back down. The little girl nodded her answer and he bent back down to her level.

"Alright then." He began to wave his hands around to form a very tiny black horse. As it neighed and trotted around, the little girl gasped.

"Cool." she whispered and it ran past her eyes. A large smile came to her mouth and she giggled. Pitch watched her closely as he made the horse evaporate and turn into a crow. The little girl followed the bird with her eyes and she made like she wanted to reach out and grab it.

"Don't touch it." Pitch said sternly. She let her eyes go from the bird, back to him.

"Why not? Will it bite?" she asked. He sighed.

"No. Just don't touch it." He waited for her to argue like all children do when adults tell them they can't do something, but again the girl proved him wrong. She stuck out her bottom lip and said,

"Ok. I won't touch it." Pitch rolled his eyes again and transformed the crow into a snake that slithered up into a coil. The whole time the girl watched entranced. Is this what he was reduced to? Entertainment for little kids? He was about to just end the show when the girl grabbed his hand. He was so shocked that the sand exploded and disappeared.

"What are you-" he raised his voice but the little girl ignored him and lifted his hand up to her eyes. She began turning it over and poking his palm, wiggling his long fingers, and staring at it. It made Pitch uncomfortable, but for some reason he didn't retract his hand.

"Are you magic?" She asked, not looking up from his hand. Pitch regained his voice and whispered,

"No."

"Hmm. Can you teach me how to do that? I wanna try it." The little girl looked into his eyes unafraid and expecting. Pitch was lost for words and became still. What is happening? He had to get out of here. Without answering he ripped his hand from the girl's grip and stood up straight. He made to head out the window but the girl squealed.

"Wait!" And he did. He looked back, against his wishes, and the girl grabbed his robe yet again.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?" Pitch growled and shook his head, again making for the window.

"Don't leave!" she cried. He sensed it. It came rushing to his being like a tidal wave. Her fear. It made him go completely still and he slowly looked at her. She had his robe in her fists so tight her knuckles turned white, and her eyes were wide as saucers. He knew this fear quite well. Why hadn't he sense it before? Her fear. The fear of being alone. It was so powerful it gave him his strength again. He could feel her fear feeding him. Making him stronger. Wasn't he just like that? Fearful of being alone, forgotten, unbelieved in? He and this little girl were alike. He mentally shook his head. Enough of those thoughts. He needed to concentrate. If this girl's fear could give him this much power, it could be the key in fully becoming the Nightmare King again. He could finally get revenge. And to think, it would all because of an odd little girl who was fascinated by the Boogey Man. A voice brought him out of his mind.

"Please don't leave." She pouted so much that ,for a second, he thought she was going to cry, but it seemed like she was keeping tears in. Fearful and stubborn. What a combination. Pitch lowered himself down and stared at her.

"You're afraid." he noted. The little girl looked away from him and then met his eyes again.

"Are you going to leave me?" she asked softly. Something stirred in his chest. He could see himself, as a child, saying the exact same thing. As these thoughts plagued him, the little girl slowly let go of his robe ,and instead bawled her fists and looked down.

"It's okay if you do. Everyone does. I'm ok. I read so I'm not lonely. Go ahead." Pitch frowned. These words coming from a child so small and so innocent. Then, the Nightmare King did something the Nightmare King never thought he would do. He placed his large hand on top of the girl's small head, her bedhead not really bothering him. She looked back up at him, a startled and confused expression.

"I'll come back tomorrow." He made a promise he never thought he'd make.

"Really?" The girl perked up and her eyes sparkled so much he almost lost it. This was definitely not like him. He gave one final nod.

"Yes." The girl beamed and then held out her pinky.

"Pinky promise?" Pitch rolled his eyes and crossed his long pinky with her short, chubby one.

"Pinky promise." he grumbled. She suddenly threw herself at him and hugged his neck. Pitch stumbled but caught his balance. As quickly as the hug came it disappeared before he could react. The girl giggled at his expression and poked his nose.

"Since you pinky promised, you have to come every night ok?" Pitch narrowed his eyes. The girl drives a hard bargain, but he relented.

"Fine. Every night." He stood up and made his way to the window.

"And you have to show me how to do those tricks with the sand! I wanna be magic to!" He glanced over his shoulder, bemused.

"Good night, little thorn in my side." She smiled up at his words and waved.

"Night Boogey Man! See you tomorrow!" Pitch caught himself chuckling as he embraced the shadows and flitted from the window, rustling the curtains as he did. When he was gone, the little girl jumped into bed, and held her book to her chest. She had made a friend tonight. One that she felt wouldn't leave her. She leaned back on her pillow with a smile on her face and fell into a deep sleep.

Once Pitch was on the other side of the street he glanced back at the building. As the sun began to rise, he noticed a sign he hadn't when he first arrived. The building was an orphanage. Pitch frowned. The little girl was an orphan. He would definitely be coming back, and just maybe, he would take this new source of strength with him. After all, the fear of being alone is one of the most powerful fears of all.


	3. The Beginning-Part 2

**Authors Note: Mylo is pronounce my-low. Just to clear any confusion. Enjoy Part 1! **

Pitch had returned the next night like he promised ,and he found himself continuing to return for the next three weeks, despite his better judgement. Something about this little girl, Mylo her name was, was strangely...addicting in her childish ways. She could brighten up a room filled with the darkness he would bring in his wake (a thick darkness mind you),and still have enough energy to flit about the room chasing the black sand animals he would make for her. Once Pitch got over his initial attitude of being knocked to the bottom of the barrel, he began to find that he was -dare he say it- _enjoying_ her company. Mylo was curious about every little thing and she didn't hesitate to ask him her many, many, _many_ questions. He remembered the second night he returned to her window, she was sitting on her bed waiting for him. Pitch didn't even have time to blink before she threw herself at him. He barely caught her when she started squealing.

"You came back! I knew you would! You pinky promised! Nobody can break a pinky promise! It's the law! It's-"

"Would you quiet _down_?!" He whispered harshly. Mylo blinked her big gray-green eyes at him. " Let's not wake the entire building. That's the last thing I need." She shifted in his arms and hung onto his neck. He didn't care to remove her.

"Ok. I'll whisper." She stuck out her bottom lip before whispering a series of annoying questions. "Are you gonna teach me how to make sand? Can I see you disappear again? Does the shadows tickle? Would they tickle me if I went in the shadows? How do you see in the dark? Are your eyes like night vision? Are you a super villain? You look like a super villain, but I like it." If Pitch's eyes could only roll out of his skull. He gently placed her on her bed and knelt so they were eye level. The whole time she didn't stop talking. His face sagged as he stared at her blankly just waiting for her to shut up. When she paused to take a breath, Pitch shot out his hands and covered her small mouth with his fingers.

"We have to lay down some rules, little thorn in my side." He deadpanned. Mylo blinked twice.

"Oolz?" She mumbled behind his fingers. Pitch tried to contain his sigh.

"Yes. Rules. And you have to follow them all. Understand?" he asked. Mylo scrunched up her nose but nodded. Pitch removed his fingers and stood up. He conjured up a pencil and paper and handed them to the little girl. Mylo took them without question.

"Write these down as I go along." Pitch began as he paced slowly back and forth. "Rule number one. Do not _ever_ touch the black sand without my permission. Number two. No shouting, screaming, ect. We must be silent and secret. Do you understand so far." He glanced at her to see her hunched over the pad, eyes narrowed, tongue sligthly hanging from the corner of her mouth, and scribbiling furiously. Pitch coughed to get her attention and she shot her head up at him and nodded rapidly.

"I got it." Pitch straightened.

"Good. I'll continue then. Rule number three is to never tell anyone about my...visits. It would completely ruin my reputation. " Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mylo nod her agreement (although he knew she probably didn't know what a reputation was),and he couldn't fight the grin that spread on his face. He shook his head to regain focus and he continued. " Rule number four. If you're ever asked about me by a tall rabbit, a fat Russian, a bird woman, a golden man, or a frosty teenager, you deny that we ever met and don't ask why. That rule is _very_ important so star it." He watched as she made the pencil motions of a star. "And rule number five. No annoying sounds." Mylo raised her head and tilted it.

"What counts as annoying sounds?" she asked. Pitch faced her and dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"I'll tell you when you make them. Did you pay attention to all of the rules?" Pitch leaned over and took the pad and did a once over before sweatdropping. There were a few words written down like _rules_(spelled right surprisingly) and _no_. Numbers were randomly drawn here and there and she did draw a star next to a smiley face with bunny ears. She even drew a _very_ rough sketch of a stick figure in a dress with spikey hair. He winced once he figured that it was supposed to be him. Pitch glanced from the pad, to Mylo, from Mylo to the pad and nodded once.

"Very well done." Pitch said trying to keep his composure. Mylo beamed proudly and squirmed in her seat.

"Can I see more sand tricks now?"

Another night that he had visited he got quite a shock. Instead of sitting on the bed, Mylo was waiting for him to make his appearance right _under_ the window. Pitch didn't realise this so as soon as he walked in, she blinded him with a flashlight causing him to trip and fall flat on his face. Mylo had laughed so loud he was sure someone heard ,but noboddy came in to check on the girl. Pitch growled at her from the floor, but she didn't notice. She was too busy imitating his shock and falling on the floor, laughing and giggling. Pitch watched as she made a fool of herself and he couldn't help but be in good humor. It was kind of funny after all.

Pitch began to wondered one night why Mylo was always up at such late hours of the night. He didn't ponder too long before he asked her. Mylo tapped her chin as she thought about her answer ,and then she shrugged.

"I like to read adventures in my books and sleeping would keep me from reading!" Ok fair enough. Pitch crossed his arms.

"But you do get some sleep don't know? Aren't you tired?" Mylo shrugged her shoulders again.

"I'm alone when I sleep so...I don't like it very much." Pitch left it at that.

"Where are your eyebrows?" Mylo was watching the black butterfly in awe when she asked that peculiar question. Pitch choked and the butterfly dissolved.

"Pardon?" Mylo squirmed on the floor.

"You know. _Eyebrows_. These things!" she pointed to the two little eyebrows she proudly called hers. Pitch felt above his eyes as a reflex before putting his hand down. How will he answer this one? He didn't actually _realize _let alone _know _why he didn't have eyebrows. Mylo waited expectantly as he thought of a random answer.

"W-well, I got so scared once that they...just fell off." Pitch motioned dismissively. Mylo scrunched up her nose in suspicion.

"The Boogeyman got scared?" she asked. Pitch gave a solemn nod.

"Even the scariest person can get scared sometimes." Mylo contemplated this and then reluctantly agreed.

Mylo pouted as she rest her chin on the window sill. Her friend was sure taking his time to get there. As she glanced around, she noticed it was a full moon. Her eyes met the moon and it seemed to glow brighter once she noticed it. Something in her said to wave so she gave the moon a little wave before looking around the street again. Her face lit up with a smile once she saw a robed figure come out of the shadows. The moon sat back and watched as they played games without a care in the world.

Pitch glanced up at the window. The sun had set a while ago and the stars were twinkling brightly tonight. The moon was high in the sky ,but Pitch ignored it. Instead he rose up to the window and slipped inside Mylo's room for the twenty-fifth time. When he entered, he expected Mylo to be waiting there by the window with a book and a flashlight in her hand like always. Instead, the child wasn't in the room. Pitch frowned. That was odd. She always was in her room at this hour. The Nightmare King felt a pang in his chest and he breathed heavily. Calm down. She's probably just playing a game. But something did feel off.

"Mylo?" He asked into the thick silence that filled the room. Pitch searched the bed in case she had fallen asleep but found only her pillow and her book. He bent down and looked under the bed (a cliche hiding place from the Boogeyman), but the girl wasn't there. Pitch's frown deepened before shaking it off. It was nothing but a game and he decided to play along.

"Come out, come out wherever you are." His long strides took him around the room, as he looked in small places where he guessed she would hide. Each time he came up disappointed. Either she was getting better at hiding (which seemed impossible because could not stay still and quiet for more than three seconds), or she wasn't there. Pitch shook that thought from his mind. The woman who ran the orphanage was strict and the children were ordered to be in their rooms by 7:30. It was well over nine now. Almost ten. Maybe she went to the bathroom. Pitch was about to walk out of the room to see if she was indeed using the restroom, but a soft rustle brought his attention to the closet. The _closet_. Why didn't he suspect the most obvious place?_ Maybe because the little girl's action were everything but predictable._ Pitch grinned in victory as he strode over to the closet, his feet not making any noise. He grabbed the two handles and threw open the doors with an infamous "Boo!". Mylo was there alright. She was nestled in the corner almost completely hidden in the dark if it weren't for his excellent eyesight. Mylo let out a soft yelp that was muffled by her hand covering her mouth. Pitch gave a wry grin and knelt down to her.

"Did you really think you could hide from the Boogeyman, little thorn in my side?" Mylo didn't meet his eyes but shook her head, her hand still covering her mouth. Pitch grew suspicious. He reached out for her hand.

"I can't gloat at my victory if you won't look at me." Mylo shied away from him and he flinched. Pitch frowned. She wasn't afraid of him was she? Was this the end of the small amount of relief he had? Pitch narrowed his eyes. No, she wouldn't do that unless she had a reason and he would feel her fear. He didn't feel anything right now. Pitch grew serious.

"Mylo, look at me." he said sternly. Mylo shook her head.

"Mm nn." She made a disagreeing noise and shifted in her corner. Pitch grew annoyed and lifted her out of the closet. Mylo didn't stir but buried her head in his chest. Something was very wrong. Pitch placed her on the bed and looked in her eyes before she was able to look away. They were red. Like she had been crying. Her hand was still covering her mouth and he knew she was hiding it for a reason. Pitch made a move to take her hand away but she backed up. His yellow eyes glowed.

"Why won't you take your hand away? We can't talk if I can't understand what you're saying." Mylo seemed to contemplate this before looking down.

"Ah wah bah." Her voice came from behind her hand. Pitch was able to decipher her words.

"You were bad? How." Pitch's chest tightened. Someone hurt her and she was afraid to show him what they had done. Mylo didn't answer. "Mylo, did they hurt you?". Mylo sniffed and he knew that someone did. A rage was building inside of him ,and he knew that if he didn't contain it he would lash out at Mylo. That was the last thing he wanted. Pitch tried to remain calm.

"Mylo. Show me your mouth please." Pitch said softly. Mylo shook her head slowly. He wouldn't back down. "It's ok, darling, let me see." Mylo looked at him with shining eyes and slowly moved her hand. Pitch growled. Her lip had been split and there was a bruise on her chin. Mylo saw his reaction and teared up.

"I was bad." She sniffed. Pitch took the girl in his arms without a second thought. He rubbed her back as she cried softly. Who would discipline a child like that? He wasn't a guardian in any shape or form, but he knew that child shouldn't be disciplined to the point where they were bruised and bleeding. He needed answers.

Pitch let her cry for a few minutes before she began to calm down. He sat himself on her bed, Mylo nestled in the crook of his neck letting out the last few tears before sniffling. Pitch rubbed her back again before he gently lifted up her face to see the damage. It wasn't too bad, but it would take a while to heal. It wasn't cleaned properly either so there was a small amount of dried blood around the cut.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Pitch asked wiping away some left over tears with his thumb. Mylo sniffed and pouted.

"I wanted to get a c-cookie from the food line so a ran to get one. One of the b-big kids pushed me out of the way and I fell. He tried to cover it up b-by saying I was t-trying to cut the line. I called him a liar and he pushed me again. I-I hit him back. Mrs Hamish came in and she saw me hit him and h-he said that I started it. I called him a liar again a-and hit him in the nose. His nose had blood and he cried. Mrs Hamish didn't believe me when I told her what he d-did first and she got mad. I always get in trouble. She hit me again in the mouth because she said lying deserved a hit in the mouth. I was bad, wasn't I?" Pitch listened as she recounted her story and he frowned. Mylo was only sticking up for herself. He noticed she was smaller than average size and since she was the youngest in the house, of course she would get picked on. But at least she decided to stand up to the bully. Maybe not the best tactic to use but he didn't dwell on that. All he knew was that she was being hit unfairly, and that the way the woman was handling things was not right. You don't hit to "punish bad children" ,you hit to teach them. This was not teaching Mylo anything. In this moment with Mylo sniffling in his chest, he decided that this place wasn't going to teach Mylo anything. She was a smart girl. A _special_ girl. This place was only hindering her. He could teach her much better. Treat her much better. He would be a _much_ better care taker than the old woman with harsh eyes and a stern mouth. This girl was a free spirit ,and needed love and guidance more than discipline. And making her believe she was a bad kid? Pitch knew that wasn't right. She wasn't a bad kid. Then he realized that_ she, _this little child,was teaching_ him_ as well. They were the same, they were. They needed one another. So why not keep her? A change was made in the Nightmare King that night. Pitch looked in Mylo's eyes again and with a serious voice said,

"Mylo, do you want to stay with me?". He wouldn't just take her away. He would ask. Pitch needed to hear that she would be willing to go with him. Mylo was confused for a moment. Pitch asked again patiently. "Would you allow me to be the one who takes care of you from now on?" Mylo's eyes widened.

"Y-you...you want to adopt me?" She asked softly. Pitch smiled a sincere smile.

"Yes. Yes, I would." Mylo's eyes sprung fresh tears and she threw her arms around his neck.

"N-no one ever wanted me!" Pitch's heart clenched and he held her tight.

"Well, I do. And I won't ever leave you. Do you understand that?" Mylo looked into his yellow eyes and held out her pinky.

"Pink promise?" her bottom lip stuck out and Pitch's cold heart melted. Maybe rock bottom wasn't so bad after all. He wrapped his long pinky around hers.

"Pink promise." Her smile light up his world and she giggled.

"And I won't ever leave you, Boogeyman!" Mylo snuggled to the Nightmare King's chest.

**Author's note: So what do you think of part 1? More to come! Review your thoughts! And did anyone get the Despicable Me reference? Thanks for the inspiration! Maybe I'll make more references because I like this comparison! Until the next chapter~**


	4. The Beginning-Part 3

Sneaking away was probably the easy part of the plan. Pitch had packed up her small purple suitcase with all of her clothes ,and anything that didn't fit went into her backpack. He even took time to clean up her lip and put ointment on it. Mylo was so excited for the trip that she was bouncing around the room. Pitch had finally got her feet planted to the floor as he buttoned up her coat. She had been non-stop chit chatting the whole time he packed. It was starting to drive him insane but he knew he would rather have her running her mouth than being silent. Pitch had answered some of her questions like "Where do you live" in which he replied "In the underground caves.", and she replied with "We're gonna live like trolls! This is gonna be fun!". He had to admit she was taking the whole "living underground" thing very well. He had been nervous that she wouldn't want to live underground and he would have to build a house, but she was all for the idea. Bless her adventurous spirit. Once he buttoned her coat she put on her backpack with haste and took his hand.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" She giggled. Pitch pinched the bridge of his nose, but his grin was unmistakable.

"Patience is a virtue, little thorn in my side." Mylo pouted.

"Make haste not waste, Mr. Boogeyman." Pitch scoffed at the young girl's quick wit and scooped her up in his arms. Mylo wrapped her little arms around his neck and looked around her room one last time. Pitch grabbed her suitcase and saw her gaze. It wasn't one of sorrow but of wonder. She was finally leaving the only place she called home. Pitch looked at her.

"Are you ready?" he asked. Mylo blinked her big beautiful eyes and kissed his pale cheek.

"I wanna go home."

Pitch had warned Mylo that traveling by shadow was going to feel a little strange. He was not prepared ,however, when she begged him to go again.

"Oh please, oh please, Pitch! I wanna do it again! We'll be like ninjas in the shadows. Sneaky sneaky sneaky!" Mylo giggled as Pitch carried her farther into the lair. He briefly wondered what he was getting himself into. He never raised a child before, let alone a little girl. He hadn't the slightest idea what to do. Mylo seemed to sense his uncertainty and hugged him.

"I'll be quiet now. " Pitch sighed and held her close.

"You don't _have_ to-"

"Okay! How long until we get there!" A neigh sounded in the dark tunnel and Pitch sighed in relief.

"We're here." Mylo's eyes bugged when they stepped out of the tunnel. The command room was the largest room of the lair. There were cages hanging everywhere from the ceiling, which is what Mylo spotted first. She briefly wondered if she could ask for a pet. Next thing she noted was that the room was basically a chasm with bridges going across the pit to other parts of the lair. Swirling pillars kept the bridges and the ceiling up. She noted that they were decorated with black vines and carved with interesting swirling patterns. How cool! In the center of the room was a large globe that was lit up with thousands of glowing yellow lights. It was all breathtaking ,in a spooky way, but Mylo didn't mind the spooky part. It was her new home and she immediately fell in love with it. It was an adventure after all! While she was observing her surroundings, Pitch called one of his NightMares over. Mylo saw the horse and gasped in delight. It was bigger than what Pitch would normally show her. The horse gracefully galloped over to them and then halted, bowing his head in respect. Mylo saw that he had a significant swirl that went around his left eye all the way to his ear. It looked like a big fancy zero. The horse eyed his master in submission but kept glancing at the girl. Pitch adjusted Mylo on his hip and looked to his servant.

"Mylo will be living here from now on. I expect her to be treated like you would treat me-with th eupmost respect and obedience. You will listen to her without question." He said it in a final way. No matter how much the little girl was changing him, he was still the boss and had to act like horse nodded his head in understatement. Pitch turned to Mylo.

"All of my servants are your servants as well. They are under your command and will make sure you are protected." Pitch explained. Mylo gasped.

"I have servants?!" Her mouth was so wide in amazement. Pitch lifted his chin.

"Well, of course. Every princess needs servants." Mylo beamed.

"Princess? Me?" Pitch nodded and Mylo looked around with new fascination.

"Mylo the Troll Princess. I like it!" She giggled and tightened her hold on the Nightmare King. Pitch swelled with pride and looked to the horse who waited obediently.

"Prepare the room next to mine and make haste." His eyes narrowed his authority and the horse quickly took off. Mylo watched and then grinned.

"Can we explore?" she asked. Pitch nodded and set her on the ground. She instantly took hold of his hand and Pitch led her across the bridge to the glowing globe. Mylo skipped along and watched the globe slowly rotate.

"What does this do?" She asked pointing to the globe. Pitch looked from her to the globe.

"Every little light represents a believer." He looked to the little girl. "Every child who believes is shown as a light." He reworded his sentence so she would understand better. Mylo's mouth formed an O.

"Like me?" She asked. Pitch grinned.

"Yes, like you." Mylo jumped up and down to see higher up the globe.

"Which light is me?" Pitch grinned at her enthusiasm and then froze. Which light _was_ Mylo? And if she was on here...then that would mean North would see her light as well. Well, here's a bump in the road. In his spontaneous decision to adopt a child, he completely forgot about the Guardians that _protect_ the child. He would have to erase her from the map so as to not raise suspicion. What would one missing child mean anyhow? Pitch was her guardian now. She didn't need them. She had him. And he had her. Pitch shook his head to clear his thoughts. He would worry about that later. Mylo didn't even notice his lack of answer. She was too preocupied at playing with the lights. Pitch cleared his throat.

"Well, obviously you're the brightest one there is." Mylo looked at him shocked.

"Really?" she asked breathlessly. He grinned.

"Really. Now how about we continue this tour?" Mylo beamed and ran ahead.

"Catch me if you can!" she giggled. Pitch shook his head.

"Mylo!"

If someone were to ask if Pitch Black ever played, he would deny it entirely. He most certainly was _not_ chasing a four year old around the lair ,and he most certainly was not _losing_ to said four year old. Mylo was just so tiny that she could easily dodge him. Mylo's laughter echoed through the tunnels.

"I'm the fastest ever!" The little girl was taunting him. Pitch scoffed.

"I wouldn't be so sure, little thorn in my side." Throughout their little game, Pitch had decided against using his abilities to give Mylo a chance to win. But after ten minutes of endlessly chasing the girl through the tunnels, winded and humiliated, he decided to cheat; just a little. Pitch smiled menacingly as he disappeared into the shadows only to reappear in front of Mylo. Mylo squealed and giggled as she ran into him. Pitch laughed and scooped her up, spinning her around.

"I told you, you couldn't defeat me!" His eyes glowed in the dim light of the tunnels. Mylo giggled and scrunched up her nose.

"You cheated!" Pitch gasped and placed his hand over his chest like he was offended.

"I? The Nightmare King and ruler of all darkness? A cheater? I say I am offended, my dear." Mylo smiled and glanced behind his shoulder. Her eyes sparked with interest and Pitch looked to see what was distracting her.

"Where does that lead?" Pitch frowned. If one knew the way and traveled far enough, it leads to a hidden passage to the outside world. But if one didn't know the way, it was a trap. Mylo eyed it with interest. Oh no.

"That, my dear, is the only place you cannot go. It's dangerous if you do not know the way. Do you understand?" He asked gently by sternly. Mylo eyes flicked from the tunnel to Pitch before she completely turned to her new father.

"Ok. I understand." Pitch smiled.

"That's my girl."

After a while of exploration, Pitch noticed Mylo's eyes drooping and the ever present yawning. As they crossed a bridge, Pitch looked down and saw Mylo rub her eyes with her free hand, the other hand clung to his as they walked. Pitch chuckled.

"I believe it is time for someone to go to bed." Mylo looked up at him with drowsy eyes.

"But I'm not slee-", a yawn cut off her sentence before she ended with," -eepy.". Pitch rolled his eyes and picked her up. Mylo instantly laid her head on his shoulder. Pitch carried her through the tunnels until he came to his bedroom door. The door next to it was slightly cracked open and he knew his servants had done their job. Pitch nudged the door all the way open and saw that the room was cleaned and organized. Mylo's suit case and backpack were unpacked and her clothes were put away int he drawers and closet. Her coat hung on a small hanger near the door and her book was placed on the bed. It was an ordinary room with stone walls and a small black chandelier for light. Other than that there was a rather large bed, a closet, dresser, and a chest. It would need some decorating to make Mylo feel more at home. Pitch would give her anything she desired.

Pitch laid Mylo on the bed and went in the drawer to pick out a small cotton, short sleeved nightgown. Mylo was only half awake as Pitch got her ready for bed. Her yawns were getting longer and she scratched her nose. As Pitch fluffed her pillow, Mylo tugged on the covers and pulled them over her head. Pitch chuckled and pulled down the covers so her nose showed.

"I'll be in the room next to yours if you need me." he said. Mylo pouted.

"Can you stay until I fall asleep?" she asked. Pitch hesitated before nodding.

"Alright. Close your eyes." Mylo did as she was told and Pitch waited on the edge of her bed. He moved some of the shaggy hair away from her face and her breathing started to become even. As Pitch watched Mylo fall asleep, he briefly wondered if this is what the Guardians cherished. Seeing the peaceful children, tucked in their beds, safe and sound and happy. It was nice for now but there was the weakness he still felt. Mylo's moment of fear the first time they met was enough to sustain him for a while, but it wouldn't last forever and he would have to go back to the upper ground and scare children again. He hoped Mylo would understand what he had to do and wouldn't judge him too harshly. Then there was the problem again of the Guardians finding out that Pitch had taken a child and plans on keeping her. A soft sigh escapes Mylo as she falls asleep. For a moment he was curious to see if the Sandman could reach all the way down here, but he suspected the golden man wouldn't think to look into the Boogey Man's domain to see if there was a child who needed dreams. Pitch himself couldn't give her dreams, he could only give nightmares. And he didn't think Mylo would appreciate nightmares. It was the one thing he couldn't give her, and he would have to live with it. Pitch slowly got off the bed, making sure not to wake the sleeping child, and walked out of the bedroom. He took one last glance at Mylo before shutting the door. Things were content for now.

Little did he know that the disappearance of Mylo from the orphanage caused a slightly bigger disturbance than he originally presumed.

**AN: How was part 3? In the next part you will see more parts in the guardians point of view ,but don't worry there will be lots of Mylo and Pitch cuteness to come! Review your thoughts so I know if I'm doing a good job or not!**


	5. The Beginning-Part 4

The Sandman was confused. He was making his rounds downtown when he floated above the orphanage. As he was sending his sand forward, he noticed a piece of ripped yellow tape across one of the windows. He swooped down on his golden cloud only to read "do not cross". What had happened? He peered in the window to see the room completely empty. Now since Sandy was in charge of giving kids dreams, he knew how many children to give dreams to. Usually he would give fifteen dreams, but tonight he only sent fourteen. One child was missing. Sandman frowned and tried to remember which child it was that was absent. He could tell who it was by the types of dreams he would send. One little boy only dreamed about dinosaurs. One of the older girls only discovered mermaids in her dreams, and so forth. Obviously this hadn't been a normal disappearance like running away since the police were involved. The funny thing was, was that no matter how hard he tried, he just could not remember the child in this bedroom. That is what was confusing Sandy. He needed to talk to North about this. He had a bad feeling this wasn't a normal happening-to forget children. As he transformed his cloud of sand into a jet plane, he sped off into the night, failing to see the horse made of black sand in the shadows.

North was snacking away at a tray of cookies while reading over the Naughty and Nice lists. No matter what those Christmas jingles tell you, Santa Clause did not just read the list twice. It took a lot of editing and transferring of names to make the lists completely accurate. Just as he got down to the L's, he heard the rush of sand before a golden light filled his office. The Russian spun around with a surprised but happy smile on his face.

"Sandy! What brings you to Pole, eh? I would think you'd be sending dreams to children about now!" He chuckled before seeing the urgent flashed of symbols above Sandy's head. The smaller man was going so fast that even North couldn't keep up. North stood up and motioned for Sandy to slow down.

"Woah, woah woah! Slow down. What has happened?" Sandy sighed and made the symbols appear slower. The first image was of himself spreading dreams. North cracked a grin.

"Oh look! It be a little Sandy." North cooed. Sandy blew sand out of his ears in irritation before continuing. North nodded as he understood the symbols coming up.

"Ok, you were spreading dreams...ah huh...Oh! To an orphanage I got that one now...ah huh...a huh..." North's eyes widened as a figure of a child popped up and than vanished. He realized Sandy's meaning.

"A child...has gone missing?" North asked slowly and quietly, having a hard time comprehending the news. Sandy nodded solemnly before tapping his head and making hand motions. North caught this one instantly.

"And...you can't remember who this child was?" Again, Sandy nodded. North stood up straighter. When it came to missing children, Santa was more than all business.

"Do not worry, Sandy, we'll get to bottom right now." North went back to the Naughty and Nice lists and did a once over. A small number keeping machine was next to him and he frowned when he noticed there was indeed one person missing from the Nice List. Someone between J and P. Then he calculated something on a rather large typewriter looking machine made of red metal. Sandy floated over North's shoulder so he could see what was going on. The machine didn't make any sense to Sandy. There were too many buttons and levers for him to be able to guess what it actually did. But apparently, North had no problem as he skimmed over the keys and pushed seemingly random buttons. As North pulled a lever on the machine, Sandy was prepared for a large piece of paper to come out (it looked like that kind of a machine), but instead it was a small paper doll with a dress. North slowly pulled the doll out of the machine and frowned.

"Is not just missing child, Sandy. It is missing little girl." He breathed. Sandy's whole body showed sorrow. North narrowed his eyes and turned the doll over. It was blank on both sides. Sandman saw North pull the lever again and when the same blank doll came up, he made a question mark over his head. North held up the dolls to Sandy.

"Usually I get name, birthday- everything. Now I get nothing. Machine working fine, but...I get nothing." Now they were both confused. Something wasn't right here and it was time to find out just what happened to this little girl.

"I believe 'tis time to call Guardians." The shared a nod, missing the small wisp of black sand retreating from a galloping horse.

As the northern lights shown in their glory, legends and myths gathered into a large room with a globe. They formed a half circle and just glanced at each other for a moment, before North sighed.

"I'm afraid we have terrible news." he stared. Toothania, her brightly colored feathers shimmering, fluttered anxiously.

"What is it North?" she asked. North bowed his head before lifting it up.

"There is a child missing. A little girl from an orphanage in downtown Weslington." The other all sucked in a breath before a boy with hair like freshly fallen snow swung his staff.

"Well, let's not sit here and talk about it. Let's go find her. Who is she?" Jack looked to North for answers but the man just sagged.

"We do not know." Bunnymund raised a fuzzy eyebrow and fidgeted on his paws. He was more than a little disturbed at this news. He and Jack had the same idea. A little girl...like Sophie...

"How can you not know who she is, mate? Don't you have that machine-"

"I tried!" North interrupted exasperatingly. "But machine not giving anything but gender! And Sandy cannot remember who she is either. Even I cannot recall anything from that orphanage. This is why we have called. We need to figure out who little girl is and why she went missing." Tooth whimpered.

"The poor little girl..." Suddenly she perked. "I bet I have her teeth! Girls, check in our inventory and take count of all the orphan girls in Weslington. One of them have to be her." The three little fairies flew off in a hurry as Jack leaned on his staff.

"I don't really hang around Weslington that often. Especially downtown. Nothing really interesting happens there." He suddenly felt guilty. Jack always played with the kids. He knew them better than any other Guardian. But why hadn't he played with any kids in downtown Weslington? He could have made them believe in him just like Jaime did, but what drove him away from Weslington. Something must have... Now he just couldn't remember... It was bothering him. Bunny was trying to console a frantic Tooth when he heard Jack's comment.

"Nothing ever did happen there. Not much there for anything to happen to. I remember Weslington but I don't recall the orphange that well. I've sent eggs over there...wait...maybe I haven't...no I must've..." Bunny frowned and racked his brain for any information on Weslington but anything that he had recalled before was suddenly gone. He growled.

"I think something is messing with our memories." The Pooka stated. Tooth gasped.

"You know, I can't recall gathering any teeth in the Weslington orphanage either!" Little chirping brought their attention to the fairies flying into the room in a panic. They flew to Tooth and squeaked and chirped so fast that only Tooth would have been able to understand. And when she did understand what they were saying, she gasped in horror.

"What do you mean we're missing teeth! And there's no other record-oh this can't be! Nothing's ever-oh this is terrible!" Toothania was now hovering around hyperventilating. North strode up to her and took her shoulders.

"Tooth, take deep breaths and tell us what they said." Tooth did as North said and looked to the others who were all highly interested and frowning.

"Apparently, we are missing teeth. We don't know who's though which is even stranger! I could have sworn we were all up to date with our records ,but someone messed with our records of Weslington. Oh what are we going to do! This little girl's out there and there is nothing we can do!" The bird woman began to sob and North let her cry on his shoulder. Bunny glared at the ground and clenched his paws. He didn't like feeling helpless. Jack was the only one who noticed Sandy having a symbol freak out. In any other situation, Jack would've laughed at the golden man's antics ,but the mood in the room was way to pressing to even think of laughing. Instead, he walked over to the sandman.

"What is it Sandy?" Jack asked. Bunny heard Jack and looked up at the two sharply. Sandy pointed at the moon which suddenly shown brighter, lighting up the room with it's rays. Bunny hopped over to Jack and looked to the moon.

"Do you know anything about this Sheilah, mate?" Jack looked at Bunnymund and frowned. He still didn't understand why he couldn't just freely talk to the Man in the Moon and actually get a reply like the others could. It wasn't fair. While Jack was thinking about this, the others began to move closer to see the moon as well. Bunny suddenly blinked and shook his head.

"What? That goes against everything we stand for! Why-" He cut himself off and narrowed his eyes at the moon and Jack guessed he was getting another reply. Sandy had a question mark above his head but it was North who asked.

"Bunny, what did Manny say?" Bunny glanced from the moon to North, then back to the Moon.

"He says to leave the matter alone." Bunny growled. Tooth sniffed and looked in confusion.

"But, how could he say that under such mysterious circumstances? Surely something is happening here besides a disappearance..." she trailed off looking at her friends. Jack made eye contact for a second before looking back at MiM. It didn't make any sense. North huffed.

"Surely you misunderstood, Bunny-"

"No I didn't, mate. He clearly said to leave the matter alone. That he would take care of everything, but-"North and Bunny took turns interrupting each other before Sandman stepped in. Images of a moon and a girl came up and Jack's eyebrows furrowed but he nodded.

"Sandy's right. Maybe the Man in the Moon does have it under control. I mean, we've never been able to make sense of anything he's done before ,but we've trusted it and everything turned out right." he shrugged. The Guardians were shocked. Jack Frost actually said something meaningful and deep. And it was his own words to. Jack looked back at them uncomfortably. Where had that come from? Bunny scoffed.

"Still trying to see the sense in making you a Guardian, Frostbite." Jack glared but Bunny grinned. " But, I guess I can see your point." Slowly everyone else agreed. North clapped Jack on the back and Jack tried not to fall over from the strength in it.

"Well said Jack! Guess you truly are becoming Guardian. Maybe a little growing up I see?" Jack's eyes sparkled with that infamous mischief and he smirked.

"If you're thinking that I'm going to give up my Naughty List record because of some random spurts of intelligence, you're wrong." North laughed and Tooth was glad there was some lightness in the room again. She held her hands to her chest before fluttering up.

"Let's agree to never forget this girl though. Nobody should be alone." Her voice was soft but steady in it's meaning. Sandy nodded and Bunny grinned.

"Agreed." Jack said with a glance at the moon. Everyone else joined him and watching the moon.

Pitch laughed menacingly. Of course his little trick worked! He had been working on a special type of sand that would affect the humans for a while. He planned on using it to make the humans forget about the Guardians but turns out he used it for something even more useful. Pitch made it so they would forget about his Mylo. He couldn't have them searching for someone who couldn't and wouldn't be found. Besides, it would raise too much attention from the Guardians. Pitch already risked taking Mylo's teeth from under the annoying bird lady's nose. He could not afford any drastic measures that would send those washed up fairy-tales his way. A shrill neigh brought him out of his thoughts. His spy had returned. Pitch walked up to her and stood straighter.

"What news do you bring?" he asked. The NightMare recounted how she had been watching the humans react to the black sand with positive results. Then he started to give Pitch some...rather unexpected news. She began to tell him how the Guardians were also reacting to the sand. She explained how she had witness the arguing of the Guardians over why they couldn't remember Mylo. As soon as the NigtMare heard that they didn't remember, she had immediately ran back to her master to tell this tale. Pitch's eyes widened.

"The Guardians were effected as well? Well, this is a fortunate turn of events. I had planned something entirely different for them,but this worked out quite nicely. I guess the memory sand was stronger than I thought. " he ended with a murmur. He began to slowly pace and contemplate this situation. The mare watched. " The sand must have lingered in the area and affected the Sandman. He in turn, brought it to the Guardians..." Pitch slowly began to laugh again. Why was he thinking so hard about this? All that mattered was that it worked. He had beat the Guardians in a battle they didn't even know was happening. "This is just perfect!" He turned to the NightMare.

"Good work. You are dismissed." The mare instantly bowed and galloped off. Pitch glided over to the globe and began watching the lights. Mylo was now his forever.

**AN: HEYO! The purpose of this note comes in two parts. 1. To give a big THANK YOU to kitkat who gave sweet reviews and for being a faithful follower! Thank you soooooo much! I really appreciate your comments I really do X3 I'm sorry I didn't get back to you right away. I wanted to dedicate this note to you! And 2. Kitkat asked for me to write an update schedule. I would love to give you an ACCURATE one but my updates depend on how fast I can write the chapters and edit them. This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have school and applications to fill out TT~TT I have a lot of responsibilities and I'm really procrastinating them by writing heh. So far my little "update scheme" is going towards at least two-three chapters a week on a good week. When ever I don't have homework I write as much as I can and edit as much as I can. I want these chapters to be good quality so I go over them a bunch of times, adding things and taking them out again. It's a long process when you're indecisive. BUT I promise once I really get into the groove of things I will give you an official schedule. But for now there ya go! I hope I didn't disappoint! Remember to review you're thoughts! :D**


	6. The Beginning-Part 5

**AN: Here's another chapter for you awesome people! We're almost through the "beginning" part of this story. I wanted to really give you guys some insight on how life worked in the lives of young Mylo and Pitch Black so this was me doing that. In this chapter we are going to see how Mylo interacts with Pitch's "minions". There are NigthMares (the freaky horses) and fearlings. The fearlings are like shadow minions (if you didn't know or have an idea). Anyhooo I'm thinking one or two more chapters with little Mylo and then we'll get to the real story with older Mylo (yes she grows up...so sad...). I'm still coming up with villain ideas and stuff like that so the plot will be interesting. Review and let me know how I'm doing so far or tell me what you would like to see in this story! I will gladly add any little tidbit you can come up with in here so just give me the word! Until then~! Enjoy!**

" Can I name him?"

It was two weeks after Pitch had taken Mylo home and things had been running smoothly. Everyday, they would walk around the lair getting to know each other even better. The two enjoyed just being in one another's company. Like today, Pitch was showing Mylo how the NightMare horses "worked". She was more fascinated ,however, in his second in command. The horse with the circle around his eye. Hearing the question, Pitch and the horse snapped their heads to the little girl who smiled with pleading eyes. Pitch opened his mouth ,but closed it. What was he going to say to that? The horse didn't have a name because Pitch didn't care enough to name him or any of the other NightMares. He didn't have any sort of relationship with his minions besides telling them what to do and how to do it. So would it hurt if Mylo named one of them? Pitch Black looked at the NightMare. The horse looked back at him and shrugged. Pitch coughed and looked down at Mylo.

"Go ahead, my dear." Mylo gasped in delight at her request being answered and then trotted closer to the horse. She observed him so closely and thoroughly that the horse was becoming uncomfortable. He glanced at his master who paid no mind to him. Pitch's attention was on Mylo as her little dark eyebrows furrowed. Her concentration face was humorous and Pitch had to hold back his chuckle. Suddenly Mylo perked up and smiled.

"I got it! Since you have that circle on your eye, why don't we name you Circle!" She seemed very proud of herself as she rocked back on her heels. The horse sagged and looked to his master for assistance. Would he really have to respond to Circle? Surely the child could come up with something better. Pitch smiled at Mylo.

"If that is what you wish, then Circle it is." Mylo giggled and went to pet Circle. Circle ,not at all happy with being named after a shape, lowered his head so Mylo could pet his nose. Pitch had discovered that Mylo was able to touch the NightMares without any after affects. Meaning her touch wasn't like those _other_ children who turned his sand into dreamsand. No, Mylo didn't have any affect on his sand-much to his pleasure. If anything, the sand was affecting Mylo in small ways. Pitch had noticed ,but since they weren't horrible changes he didn't mind. They were very small things anyway. For example, her hair was starting to turn a dark purple color. Almost like a dark wine. Her eyes were also brighter than he remembered, aiding her in seeing in the dark caverns. Since she hadn't had any exposure to the sun since he brought her home, her skin was turning pale. Not an unappealing pale though, but a nice fair cream color that Pitch though brought out her little freckles on her nose. Mylo giggled again and Circle snorted in amusement. Pitch noticed how his second in command had been developing a soft spot for the girl. This was a good thing, of course, but Pitch didn't want the horse to get so attached that he didn't do his job correctly. So he made sure that there was still a small space separating them. Pitch then brought himself out of his thoughts and spoke up.

"Mylo are you getting hungry? It's almost lunch time." Mylo looked up at her adoptive father and then to her stomach which growled on cue.

"I guess my tummy wants some food. OK, let's eat!" She said patting her stomach. Pitch held out his hand and Mylo didn't hesitate to grab it. Pitch looked to Circle.

"Make your rounds and then meet us in the dinning hall." Circle nodded and Mylo waved widly.

"See you soon, Circle! Be good!" Pitch chuckled at her and Circle just snorted his reply to Mylo before galloping away.

The dinning hall was originally a large cell that Pitch turned into a room by removing the bars and adding a large table made of black wood. The chairs were made of the same black wood and were elegantly crafted by Pitch himself using his magic. Pitch pulled out Mylo's seat and she happily sat down with a leap and a short "thank you". Pitch sat himself down at the head of the table(to Mylo's right) and rang the small silver bell alerting his fearlings to bring in lunch. They didn't have to wait more than two seconds before inky black shadows flitted about and set down a plate in front of Mylo. She giggled when she saw the sandwich in front of her. It was an expertly made two story peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Mylo thanked the fearling and he bowed to her before flitting off. Pitch had discovered that Mylo loved her peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. The girl could eat them night and day without a word of disapproval. Of course Pitch knew that children needed real nutrition (he had read a book about child care during the first few days of her living here)so he made sure she ate lots of fruits and vegetables for snacks and other meals. All of the food, came from the nearby towns (stolen of course) and stored in the makeshift pantry and kitchen. Pitch had ordered his fearlings to prepare each meal of the day according to a cook book he had taken. Mylo took one of the slices of the sandwich (the fearlings were smart enough to realize that she could fit the whole sandwich in her mouth) and began nibbling hurriedly. Pitch was eating his own meal when he saw Mylo hurriedly eating her food. He grinned.

"Your food won't run away from you, little thorn in my side. Eat slower so you won't get sick." Mylo looked at him with full cheeks and nodded.

"O-ay" she mumbled with her mouth full before she swallowed. "I just want to finish soon 'cause you said you would teach me to use the sand! I wanna do that today!"Mylo finished and looked at Pitch expectantly. Pitch took a sip of his wine before raising an eye ridge.

"Oh do you now? Alright, we'll try it out after we eat. But you have to promise not to rush." he stated. Mylo nodded.

"Ok! I promise!"

"Good girl."

"Now before we get to actually handling the magic, we have to discuss what it is and how it works." After lunch, Pitch had taken Mylo into what was becoming the "play room". There were a few chests filled with toys and games for Mylo against the walls and a large rocking horse sat in a corner. Books were on a long shelf, thin and large alike, already a third read. Mylo was sitting on the rug in the center of the room while Pitch paced in front of her like a teacher would. She listened to Pitch's every word.

"The sand is used to create nightmares. It's the natural opposite to dreamsand. So in reason, the magic behind it is dark while the opposite is light. Hence why we mostly stay in shadows. It's just how the order works. Do you understand so far?" Mylo nodded and Pitch continued. "The sand is fueled by fear. If there is no fear, the magic is weakened, but if the fear is strong, than the magic is very powerful and very dangerous. Now, there is no reason to be afraid of the sand itself but you should use caution around it. Magic is not a toy, it's a tool and needs to be used with wisdom and skill." Pitch demonstrated by conjuring the sand and making it runs swirls around the sand. Mylo watched in fascination as she usually did. Pitch let a tendril loose and it tickled her nose, receiving giggles from Mylo. Pitch smiled. Pitch had explained to Mylo a while ago about what he was and what he did. She had yet again surprised him with her uncanny wisdom and understanding when she told him "fear helps kids not to do bad things. You help people in a different way. You're not bad, it's just your job." ; it had warmed Pitch's cold heart. Pitch continued his lesson.

" To use the magic, you have to not only believe in its power ,but you need use your own fear to fuel your power. You need to become fear itself. Once you accept your own fear, you can control it and use it. Let's give it a go." Pitch knelt down in front of Mylo and conjured up a small ball of sand. "Hold out your hands." Mylo did as she was told and Pitch poured the sand into her small palms. The sand nestled and settled without protest. "Now think of what your afraid of and send that feeling through your hands." Mylo shut her eyes tightly and thought hard. She was afraid of being alone. She was afraid of losing Pitch. Mylo repeated these two sentences in her mind and concentrated so hard her head began to hurt. But then, she felt something. It's what she always felt when being around the NightMares and the Fearlings. It was magic. And it had begun to stir in her. Pitch watched as she stuck out her tongue in concentration and he observed how the sand began to move. He smiled. This was another affect of living with dark magic. It began to attach itself to you and opened up a new world of possibilities. Since Mylo loved to play with the fearlings, the magic had begun to awake inside of her. This was one of the reasons that the sand wouldn't change when she touched it. She believed in the darkness herself so it was willing to let her use it's power. Pitch knew she was special, and this only proved his point. As the sand began to stir Mylo opened her eyes and gasped.

"It's wiggling!" she then let out a string of giggles and looked up at Pitch with amazed eyes. "It tickles!" Pitch smiled at her.

"That's good! Now, will it to change form." Mylo blinked and looked at the sand.

"Like what?"

"Anything you want." Pitch said. Mylo grinned.

"Turn into ball!" she said to the sand, pitching a ball in her mind. Slowly, the sand began to solidify into a round ball. Mylo smiled at her success.

"I did it! I did it! See?" she squealed in delight. When she did, the sand began to shine give off a black glow. Like a dark pulse. He felt the power radiate to him in strong waves. Then, like it had appeared, vanished. Pitch made a mental note to look into this later. In reply, he laughed with her and cupped her chin.

"I knew you could. Now, with the right amount of practice you'll be able to do anything." Mylo gasped.

"Anything?" she asked. Pitch smiled.

"Anything." Mylo's eyes seem to sparkle in the darkness.

"Then I wanna be just like you!" Pitch faltered. He never thought a child would ever want to be like the Boogeyman. What an odd little girl he had. He sighed happily.

"Alright. You can be just like me."

Pitch quickly learned that Mylo was not only very hyper, but very, very clumsy. He had turned his back for two seconds to talk to one of his spies, when he heard a squeal and a thump. He turned around to see Mylo sprawled on the floor, her foot caught on one of the toys. Pitch didn't waist a moment before he ran over to her.

"Mylo, are you hurt?" He asked worriedly, picking up the girl from the floor. Her lip trembled and she held her knee. There was a small scrape that was starting to leak little red beads of blood.

"I fell." She whimpered. "Again." This was the third time that week that she had fallen, tripped, or broken something. Pitch was just grateful that she hasn't actually broken any bones. He cradled her in his arms before letting his sand wash over her knee. The scrape was healed instantly and Pitch bent down to kiss her knee. Mylo sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

"See? All better." he said as he wiped away her tears. Mylo pouted.

"I'm clumsy..." she said sadly. Pitch chuckled.

"Yes, you are." Mylo shot her head up and scrunched up her nose in distaste. Pitch laughed and Mylo couldn't help but laugh to. That was when Circle came trotting in, dismissing the other horse from the room. Mylo saw him and smiled.

"Circ!" she wiggled out of Pitch's arms and ran to pet the horse on the nose. Circle nuzzled her in a greeting before looking up at Pitch who walked up to them.

"Mylo, why don't you start cleaning up the playroom. Me and Circle have to have a grown up talk." Mylo nodded before she skipped over to the chest and began putting away the toys. Pitch watched for a second as she summoned a fearling she had come to name _Slinky_ ,and together they began to toss the toys into the bin. He turned to the NightMare.

"Report." he said. Circle then began to tell Pitch of a family that was camping nearby and how they had a few kids who were scared that there were bears in the woods. Pitch grinned. He could use an energy boost about now. But he would have to leave Mylo... He frowned. It would be the first time they were away from each other since she had moved in. He didn't know how well she would take the news. Of course he shouldn't be gone long, but Mylo was still young and her fear was to be left alone. He would have to make a decision. Pitch's eyes hardened and he looked at Circle.

"I will go to this family, and you will be in charge of Mylo while I'm gone. Make sure she goes to bed on time and that she is entertained. She will not be left alone _ever_. If I hear any bad things from her, there will be consequences. Is that clear?" Circle nodded once and Pitch walked over to Mylo who was telling Slinky where to put the toy snake.

"Mylo." Pitch called. Mylo stopped talking and turned her head to him.

"Yes, Pitch?" she blinked. Pitch knelt down and put on a serious face which Mylo caught. "Are you ok?" she asked reaching out and putting a hand on his forehead. "You're not sick are you?" Pitch chuckled and took her hand from his head.

"I'm not sick, but I do have to go out and work tonight so I won't be home to tuck you in. Circle is going to watch you while I'm gone. Is that alright?" he asked. He was nervous when she pouted ,but she nodded.

"Ok. Circle is here so I won't be alone...and I know you have to work... But you'll come back soon right?" Mylo stared up at him with questioning eyes. Pitch couldn't help but kiss her forehead.

"Of course. I'll be back before you know it." He promised. Mylo nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her close before lifting her up and placing her on Circle's back. One hard stare told Circle to be careful, and Pitch left the lair. Mylo watched him go before leading on the back of Circle's neck.

"So...do you wanna play, Circle?"

Circle tried not to quiver. It would look bad to the other NightMares if they saw their leader _afraid_. Circle looked around the room. It was quiet. Too quiet. Circle began to back up towards the wall, ears flickering nervously. His hooves made tap dancing noises as he shook. Where was she?

"BOO!" Circle jumped three feet in the air, letting out a shrill neigh before flinching at the weight that landed on his back. An abundance of giggles rang through the air.

"I scared you, I scared you! See? I can be a Boogeyman to!" Mylo was laughing at her own cleverness while Circle was trying to calm his racing heart. He wasn't made for this kind of thing...this little girl was more of a terror than the NightMares or the fearlings. And what was worse? He still had a while to go before his master came back...

"Wanna play another game now Circ?" Circle winced...here we go again...

The NightMares tried. They really tried. But they just couldn't help but snort. Circle shot his head to where the other horses were. His glare accelerated and the mares stood up straighter and silenced themselves. They couldn't anger their leader...but it was just too funny! Circle waited until they were still before he began walking forward. His back leg was dragging do to the little terror hanging on his leg while sitting on his large hoof. The girl had an iron grip and a broad grin.

"Faster Circle! Go faster! That's not running!" Mylo squealed as she gripped tighter to his leg. Circle glared at the wall ahead of him as he tried to walk faster. As he rounded the corner the small group of mare busted out in a series of snorts and neighs.

"Stop right there bandits! It's time for you to go to jail!" Mylo tried to imitate a man's voice but was badly failing. The only thing she did well as an actress was sit upon her noble stead (aka Circle) and held out a signal to stop to the bandits (aka a few humanoid fearlings riding on top of the mares). The fearlings shrieked for a language and made a series of gestures. Myo made up the dialog in her head.

"No buts! Jail time for you! Now tell me where the gold is!" She ordered with a surprising amount of authority. Circle scoffed at this performance but stood still anyway. The fearlings gestured to the chest against the wall and Mylo gasped.

"There it is! Ok now I must arrest you." She patted Circle's neck as a signal for him to get lower so she can slide off of him. Circle obliged and Mylo easily slid off of the NightMare. The fearlings did the same and held out their wrists for Mylo to "handcuff". Mylo walked over- cowboy style- and pretended to wrap their wrists in ropes before pointing to the corner.

"Go sit in the corner!", she started in a deep voice before she whispered, "That's where the jail is." The fearlings nodded their understanding and slithered over to the corner where they stood still. Mylo than trotted over to the chest and opened it, gasping.

"We did it Circle!" She reached in and pulled out a yellow bouncy ball. "We rescued the gold! Hooray for us!" The fearlings applauded her success and the mares neighed in happiness. Circle couldn't help but slip a small grin before nodding to the girl.

He was currently wearing a cape. A black silk cape. Why you ask? Cause Mylo wanted to play "troll princess vs the vampire horse". Hence...the cape. This dreaded cape. Mylo was going on and on in a long dialog about how "he would never defeat her" and how "she was the most powerful troll princess of them all". It was quite simple. The main thing that was interesting is that she was using a play sword and flailing about so much that he was shocked she didn't trip and stab herself. Honestly he was waiting for it, so he was a bit on edge. The other fearlings present as the audience just watched in fascination as Mylo recounted the story of the vampire/troll wars and where it all began. He had to admit the girl had an imagination. She was the star of this production in all aspects. And then suddenly...it was his turn to contribute.

"And now, the princess and the vampire horse must duel to the death!" The fearligns all "ooed" in their strange whispering language. Circle rolled his eyes before taking his own toy sword in his mouth. Mylo stood, sword ready, and sneered.

"Let us duel!" She waved her sword around and Circle countered her moves with his own. He wasn't making much of an effort as Mylo was ,but he still made sure that this fight wasn't completely fixed for her to win. Suddenly she spun spun around and stabbed at his chest, lightly touching him. Mylo cheered.

"Ah hah! The troll princess strikes the vampire horse in his one weak spot! His heart!" The fearlings gasped and waited for Circle to...well die. Mylo waited to, but Circle just stood there staring.

"This is the part where you die." she whispered to him. Circle rolled his eyes and slowly fell to the floor, carelessly. Mylo cheered again.

"The vampire horse is dead! The troll princess is the victor!" The fearlings applauded her and the girl bowed at them. Then she patted circle on the nose.

"You're good at being a dead vampire horse, Circle." she giggled. Circle sighed. Yay for him...

Circle slowly walked to the bedroom, careful not to wake the sleeping girl on his back. Earlier he had suggested she put on her pajamas, knowing he wouldn't be able to help her once she fell asleep. Luckily she didn't argue and after a few more games, the girl just passed out- much to the horse's relief. Circle nudged the door open with his nose before striding towards the bed. He turned his head and looked back at the girl before taking the back of her night shirt and bending forward, placing the girl on the bed. Mylo didn't budge but kept on snoring as Circle lifted the covers over her shoulders. She looked so peaceful when she wasn't awake. Her pouty lips were open in an O as she breathed in and out. Circle bent down and nuzzled her cheek before quietly slipping out. He figured that this was why his master had kept this child. She was...special. And no matter how much he could deny it, she was starting to grow on him.

Pitch returned from "work" energized and pleased. The children were easy to scare since they already were nervous about camping outside. Let's just say the camping trip was cut short. Pitch chuckled at his success before quickly entering the lair through a secret passage way. Circle instantly met him at the door. Pitch didn't miss a beat in asking,

"How was she?" Circle recounted their activities (Pitch tried not to chuckle at Mylo's antics with his minions and what she put his second in command through)and told his master that she was currently in bed asleep. Pitch nodded.

"Excellent. You are dismissed." He didn't want to seem too eager so he waited until Circle galloped out of sight before transporting himself in front of Mylo's door. Pitch turned the knob and slipped into the little girl's bedroom to see her snoring peacefully in her bed. A soft smile graced his features and we went over to the bed and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight Mylo." he whispered. Just as he pulled away he heard the breathy sigh of, "Goodnight daddy."

Pitch froze and glanced at the sleeping child. She was smiling in her sleep. Did she just...? Pitch smiled wider before walking out of the room, heart soaring. She had called him daddy.

**AN: Your thoughts? Review! **


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